How TV Animation Works

Even with a fully-animated product in hand, the show isn't necessarily finished. There may be mistakes in the color that necessitate retakes, or the producers might be unsatisfied with a joke or a scene.

Animating retakes can be costly, so the editors have found editing tricks to achieve the desired results. "With some creative editing, we can make a lot of changes," says Kenny Micka. "We can repurpose animation to have characters say new lines, or we can use shots from other episodes. We've actually built entire scenes from various shots from different shows. You can't do that in live action."

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This is one of the reasons characters in animated shows usually wear the same outfit week to week. With this consistency, it's easier to borrow animation from other scenes and other episodes.